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“Are you going to tell me you aren’t? That you didn’t?” She trained her eyes on me. “That innocent Lake kept her hands to herself the whole week Manning was there?”
It was my turn to look away, wiping my upper lip with the heel of my palm. I couldn’t lie to Tiffany and say I’d behaved, so I just sat there sweating under the yellow light like I was being interrogated until the sliding glass door opened.
“There you are,” Sean said, fisting a beer and a joint as he came over to kiss my cheek. I realized belatedly that I’d heard his motorcycle out front a few minutes before.
I gestured across the table. “Sean, this is my sister.”
“Oh, hey.” He sat and gave her his signature sexy—and somewhat hollow—smile. “What’s up?”
Tiffany eyed the tattoos peeking out from under his sleeves. “Hey.”
“Are you an actress too?” he asked, relaxing back in the chair.
She crossed her legs in his direction. “No,” she said. “I used to do some modeling, though.”
“I could see that,” he said, nodding. “Your family’s got good genes, Lakey. Either of you have a light?”
I gagged on the inside. Lakey not only sounded gross, but it was like combining Birdy and Lake, and I didn’t want my memories of Manning anywhere near Sean. “I’ve asked you so many times not to call me that,” I said, but they were ignoring me.
“Just don’t steal it,” Tiffany said, leaning forward to hand him her BIC. “These things are expensive.”
“I know, right?” He lit the blunt. “I’m always losing mine.”
I looked up at a movement in the doorway. Corbin leaned outside. “You forgot to shut the door, man. You’re getting smoke in the house.”
“Sorry.” Sean waved in front of his face as if that’d help. “It’s just pot. Won’t smell.”
Corbin came out with a red plastic cup and took the last seat at the table. He lowered his voice as Tiffany asked Sean about the show. “Did you two have a good talk?” Corbin asked.
“I don’t know. It was an honest one at least.”
“You missed the end of the show.”
“I know. It feels super weird to see myself up there, though. I don’t think I like it . . . like at all.”
“I know what you mean.” He stretched his long legs, leaning back. “They edited the promos to make it look like Sean and I were fighting over you during one of my visits. Guess that’s why they always mic me when he’s around.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I warned you, though. You didn’t have to participate.”
“I know. I think it’s funny.” He sipped his drink. “You know when I do come around, I’m just looking out for you, right?”
That was Corbin’s gentlemanly way of making sure I knew he wasn’t trying to be any more than a friend to me. He and I hadn’t hooked up since before Manning’s trip to New York, but Corbin and I had never really talked about his feelings. “I know. I just wish you were here more.”
“I might be, Kaplan.” He winked. “I just might be.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Don’t tease me.”
“I’m not. I told you I’ve been thinking about starting my own consulting firm, and I could do that out here if I want.”
“Really?” I asked, grateful for some good news. “You’d move back?”
“Maybe. I could set my own hours, work with clients I actually respect, and then there’s the whole settling down thing we’re supposed to start thinking about. Raising a family in New York, it’s not the same. I kinda miss Cali.”
“No way.” I smiled. “I never thought I’d hear you say that. Did you meet someone and you’re trying to play it off like this was the plan all along?”
He chuckled. “No, but I want to.”
“Well, you tell me who you want, and I’ll make it happen. The girls on my show all love you. Whatever I can do to sway you, I will. Val and I want you here.”
His mouth crooked in one corner as he squinted into the backyard. “I was thinking maybe a waterfront place in Malibu. Open all the windows, live right on the beach. New York has been good to me, but nothing like going downstairs and hopping in the water with my board and my girl. Sounds all right.”
Better than all right. New York had been a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but California was in my blood. I wasn’t so sure about the reality TV thing, but there could still be some opportunities for me in Hollywood, so this felt like where I needed to be right now. The thing I still lacked was what Corbin described—a home. Val’s house and my little bungalow in Santa Monica with Bree had been good substitutes, always filled with friends and food and sometimes pets since we dog-sat a lot. Still, as my sister flirted with my current fling, I knew my life would never go back to what it’d been before I’d left. The rift between my dad and me was too big, and especially now that I knew he’d cheated on my mom, I wasn’t willing to cross it. Nor could Tiffany and I ever just be sisters again.
